JoshuaDunlow wrote:Interesting choice for his shield there. And i like that you made it concentration to use effectively, which makes sense, otherwise it just acts like a normal shield.

Yeah, when Cap's really on the defensive, nothing gets past the shield.

JoshuaDunlow wrote:Though I think his fighting skill and defenses are way out of proportion, unless you think Cap can take on superman.

I don't know that Cap would win, but I think he'd make a good showing against Superman, or Thor, or the Hulk – better than Batman, and Batman's survived hits from murderous Kryptonians with no more excuse than "I'm Batman." Cap's a notch or two up from my Batman in most respects, because I do see him as an all-around better fighter even without the shield; he's also stood up to Superman-expys like Count Nefaria and Hyperion.

ComplicationsMotivation: Nick is a patriot. He will even go against the heroes to ensure the security of the United States.

Enemy: Baron Strucker, the Viper, and HYDRA.Physical Disability: Fury is blind in one eye; opponents can take advantage of this, giving him a −2 to ranged attacks.Relationships: Captain America is Nick’s close friend. He has an on-again off-again relationship with Contessa Allegra de FontaineResponsibility: As head of SHIELD.

NotesNick Fury is in some ways the Batman of the Marvel Universe – as the Marvel Universe’s greatest spy, he ends up being the know-it-all that Batman is for DC. Nick feels like an NPC though; he gives clues to the heroes, loans them any equipment they need, throws them plot hooks, and gets out of the way when the action starts.

Nick's no slouch in combat, but he's not going to stop a rampaging Hulk. He's tricky as heck though; expect some power stunts off his weapons array for SHIELD spy gear and lots of Feints. As head of SHIELD, he's almost always got a team of agents available to do the heavy lifting, except when he's undercover as dead.

Does anyone besides me want to see a Nick Fury/Odin teamup? Or at least see Thor mistake Nick for his dad?

Scrollreader wrote:He can at least brawl with iron man, thor, and their respective rogues. Also, I love the shield. When I saw the related power in the Speed Profile, I thought of Cap too.

Jspade, I do love that shield mechanic. I may, nay, WILL have to swipe it and test it. It really fits. I think it perfectly represents how he walked away unscathed when Thor nails the shield with Mjolnir in the Avengers movie and his ability to hang with Hulks and such and so you note without overpowering him against the Red Skull and the like.

SHIELD (Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Directorate) is the lead US government agency in dealing with super-villains, international terrorism, and similar threats. SHIELD appears to have been formed in response to the rise of HYDRA as a threat to US security, and expanded as superhuman activity became a major national issue. Since its inception, SHIELD has operated some of the most advanced technology in the world, much of it supplied by Stark Industries.

These are the guys who rocket-pack out of the helicarrier to raid HYDRA Island or try to bring down supervillains megatons above their weight class. They're in jumpsuits with body armor, helmets, and the very latest in high-tech weaponry.

Headquarters

SHIELD has facilities throughout the US and the world. The New York base is located beneath a barber shop, accessible via barber-chair elevators; it presumably has other, similar bases elsewhere in the US.

SHIELD agents usually use conventional or military vehicles (black Accura sedans seem to be popular), but they have a limited inventory of flying cars. These appear to be normal vehicles until they need to take to the air; the wheel hubs house powerful turbine thrusters. Most have a machine gun armaments behind the headlights or in the trunk.

ComplicationsMotivation: Natasha protects the world because it’s the only job she knows, and she intends to do it well.

Relationships: The Widow respects Nick Fury and Captain America. Daredevil, Hawkeye, Hercules, and Iron Man are among her former lovers, and she has managed to end all the relationships amicably and remain friends.

NotesThe Black Widow's gotten a push lately because of the Avengers movie; I first encountered her sidekicking for Daredevil in his West Coast days, but she really made an impression on me when Miller used her in his Daredevil run.

Natasha is a better field agent than Nick Fury, which makes her one of the few Marvel characters who can actually do an investigation. She's comfortable undercover or raiding HYDRA bases.

ComplicationsMotivation: The Falcon has seen America at its worst and best; he strives to make it better.Power Loss: The Falcon’s wings and visor can be removed, but seldom are.Relationships: The Falcon was inspired by Captain America and is always there when Cap needs him.Responsibility: Sam tries to mentor black youth as much as he can, and serve as a role model.

NotesThe Falcon’s arguably the first black American superhero, and certainly the first without “black” in his name. Like many groundbreaking characters, he’s become steadily less stereotypical as time goes on.

These days, the Falcon is Marvel’s answer to Hawkman, and as espionage has played a greater role in Captain America his surveillance abilities have become more important.

Even though he’s been an Avenger in his own right, the Falcon is at core a sidekick. He complements characters like Cap and the Black Widow who are more down to earth; standing alongside Iron Man or Thor he’s not very impressive.

ComplicationsMotivation: Hawkeye loves the thrills and adrenaline of being a superhero; the applause isn’t bad either.

Deaf: Hawkeye’s hearing is Impaired if he’s not wearing his hearing aid.Rebel: Hawkeye has a problem with authority, unless the authority is himResponsibility: Hawkeye tries to help out people who are trying to live down past mistakes, especially the Thunderbolts; he’s also a sucker for newbie heroes.Showoff: Hawkeye will sometimes make things more difficult for himself than they need to be, just so he can show how good he is.

NotesAbilities-wise, my Hawkeye is modeled on his Ultimate universe counterpart, able to kill with a flicked fingernail. In terms of personality though, he’s still the Br’er Hawkeye known to the mainstream Marvel Universe. There's more than a dash of his cinematic version in my visualization too; I see him working with the Black Widow (thus his inclusion in my Agents of SHIELD section), though he doesn't consider himself one of Fury's people.

Hawkeye has no superhuman powers, but is a highly skilled acrobat and fighter, and possibly the finest marksman ever. He can turn any Ranged attack up to Rank 5 into a Perception attack, and upgrade effects that are 1/rank by 5 ranks, simulating an unerring Power Attack; he can also use the same weapons as Multiattacks whether they're normally capable of it or not. He's used to using lethal weapons in a less-than-lethal manner, reflected with his two Afflictions (one for painful but non-damaging wounds, the other for leg-shots to immobilize). Finally, he's very good at hitting unarmored locations, and he's more effective than you'd expect against martial-artist types, reflected by his ability to Weaken their toughness.

Last edited by jspade on Wed Oct 17, 2012 9:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.

ComplicationsMotivation: Sharon is a loyal agent of SHIELD.Relationships: Sharon is Captain America’s on-again off-again girlfriend.Responsibility: Agent 13 is one of SHIELD’s top agents.

NotesTime to get back to actual Agents of SHIELD, and Agent 13’s one of their best.

I didn’t know about Peggy Carter and her relationship to Sharon for years after I first encountered her; I just thought of Agent 13 as “Cap’s hot blonde girlfriend.” And despite Stan Lee’s misogyny, Sharon’s an ass-kicker.

Agent 13 fits more into Cap’s realistic adventures than the Falcon, and she repeatedly proves that, costume or no, she’s not to be underestimated.

Hail, HYDRA! Immortal HYDRA! We shall never be destroyed! Cut off a limb, and two more shall take its place!

—HYDRA oath

HYDRA was founded by Baron Strucker using resources smuggled out of the collapse of the Third Reich. Since then, it has become one the most dangerous and advanced terror organizations in the world. SHIELD was formed expressly to counter the threat HYDRA posed to the United States.

HYDRA is run by Baron Strucker from behind the scenes as the Supreme Hydra, buffered from the division chiefs by a central ruling committee. HYDRA has at times served the needs of the Red Skull, though the relationship is more ideological similarity than actual alliance. Splinter groups of HYDRA have broken away from time to time and function autonomously under the HYDRA banner; one notable faction is AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics), HYDRA's former weapons development group.

ComplicationsMotivation – Justice: Cloak & Dagger are particular enemies of drug dealers, but Cloak chooses to feed on evildoer’s lightAddiction: Cloak must consume light, either from Dagger or by taking life-force from people in his cloak.Power Loss: From time to time, Ty’s cloak has been stolen, and with it his powers.Relationship: Ty and Tandy have been together since they first met.

NotesCloak is problematic until you start looking at the results he gets rather than what he claims to do. Minions get sucked into the cloak pretty easily, but if name people do they’re effectively defeated. Since “effectively defeated” is pretty much the same as “third degree Affliction”, I made that aspect of things a minor Movement Attack limited to people he’d otherwise drained.

I treated the automatic attack on any teleport passengers as a side effect since, if he’s taking them with him, they are willing and therefore friendly. I’m iffy on Cloak’s range; I’ve never seen him try to teleport beyond New York, but in Secret Invasion, Cage felt like he needed to steal a Quinjet to go to the Savage Land, suggesting it was out of range for Cloak. Wikis say he can project darkness, but I’ve never seen him do it.

Like Dagger, Cloak’s only got a few tricks and isn’t much without them.

ComplicationsMotivation – Acceptance & Justice:Dagger is more focused on building a home than Cloak, and often tries to reconnect the duo to the rest of the world. She does share Cloak’s hatred of drug dealers, but not to the same degree.Accident/Power Loss:Dagger can overextend her powers and deplete her supply of “light”. On the other hand, if she doesn’t use them for an extended period, she will start to overload.Relationship:Ty and Tandy are together and have been for years.

NotesDagger must have some considerable native talent for battle, because she’s been taking on drug gangs with what amounts to a tranquilizer gun for years, and no more training that “I took ballet.”

Dagger’s main attack is pretty straightforward, an Affliction with some extras. She gets a little Feature to help her convince people she’s taken out to change their lives. Her healing abilities are more difficult; I finally settled on Nullify rather than Healing, because I’ve never seen her actually heal an injury. And her light grants immunity to Cloak’s powers, so she can guide people through the the Darkforce Dimension on those team teleports.